By CJ Raymond Ebireri

The University of Benin’s management has yielded to the demands of UNIBEN students by reversing the recent school fee increment, which was updated on the Kofa page just 24 hours ago. This development follows a memo released by the Student Union Government (SUG), calling for a general assembly to address the fee increment.

Students gathered at Hall 2 at 9 am as specified in the memo and proceeded to the Vice Chancellor’s office. The students were addressed by Prof. Raymond Ozolua, the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academics, representing the absent Vice Chancellor. Also present were Prof. B.A Ayinde, the DVC for Ekenwa Campus, Prof. Clement Ighodaro, the Dean of Students, and other principal officers, all under strict security surveillance.

The meeting was later relocated to the senate chambers, chaired by the DVC for Academics, along with some principal officers. The students’ demands were articulated and presented to the management by the SUG President, Comr Nmoye Israel, and other student leaders and stakeholders, seeking a complete reversal of the increased school fees.

After intense deliberation, the management finally acceded to the students’ demand, agreeing to remove the school fees displayed on the Kofa page for staylite students within a two-hour ultimatum.

However, some students remained unsatisfied with the meeting’s outcome and gathered around the Senate chambers, pledging to block the main gate if the management failed to honor the agreement and reverse the school fees. Approximately an hour before the stipulated ultimatum, students noticed that the school charges had already been removed from their respective Kofa pages.

The SUG President expressed gratitude to the student leaders and all concerned students who participated in the struggle. He assured the students of a subsequent general assembly to discuss the next course of action.

We await further developments.

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